Service-Learning

Program Overview - Guidelines - Projects

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Service Learning Program at Bloomington High School North is an exciting and practical program that allows juniors and seniors to experience the rigors and responsibilities of serving and working in our community. Community Service, Cadet Teaching and Senior Internship are the three courses that comprise the Service Learning Program at Bloomington North. In the best interest of studen-learning program that shares a common focus and vision for each of the courses. Its, the community, and the school, we have begun the development of a servicet is our goal that every student is provided the best opportunities to serve, learn, and demonstrate their knowledge and skills. Attendance, work performance, communication skills, growth, responsibility, and reliability are all important qualities we evaluate you upon.  You will be expected to demonstrate and show evidence of the knowledge you have acquired while serving your community. The Service Learning Program is focused on the following three ideas:

Objective:          

To provide an opportunity for students to link the knowledge and skills acquired in school to a non-profit organization, local business, or learning institution. Students will demonstrate increased civic and social responsibility and improved academic achievement.

As Directors:    

We will monitor you at your service-learning site, be a liaison between you and your site supervisor, hold you accountable to the expectations outlined in the program overview, and provide classroom instruction that correlates with your service learning area. It is our goal as directors to work together to develop a strong service-learning program with shared goals, visions, and responsibilities.

Expected Outcomes:        

We want you to have a worthwhile, hands-on experience at your service-learning site.  Your placement should provide you with the best learning experience and an opportunity to serve your community. You are expected to meet both the coursework expectations and the expectations of the site you serve.

Contacts:                

Jessica Willis
jwillis@mccsc.edu
330-7724 ext. 50255

GUIDELINES

 

  • Communication

    • Communication: Our main form of communication will be via e-mail and the Moodle course management web site. You will need to check e-mail and access the Moodle web site for Service-Learning on a daily basis. Missing assignments and deadlines because you have failed to be informed will not excuse you from important deadlines or assignments.
    • Important web sites: www.bhsn.tsheets.com and moodle.mccsc.edu (no www.)

    Attendance

    • Attendance is mandatory each day.
    • Your attendance grade is based upon your accumulated hours at your placement. One hour is added to your accumulated hours for school-related absences only, ie. Field trips. We treat attendance just like you are getting paid based upon your hours worked.
    • In order to get a 90% on your attendance grade you must be at your site a minimum of one hour on your assigned day. The expected time commitment each day is one hour and fifteen minutes. Students will receive 100% for attendance for meeting or exceeding this time commitment.
    • Failure to attend your site without an excused absence will result in dropped letter grades. If you are sick, have an emergency, are on a fieldtrip, etc, you are expected to inform your site of your absence.  Each unexcused absence in a six-week grading period will result in a dropped letter grade. More than three unexcused absences in a semester will most likely result in your removal from the program.
    • Excessive excused absences will result in a review to determine if placement will continue in the program. 
    • It is strongly discouraged to schedule personal appointments during this time.
    • An online attendance method will be used to track your arrival and departure times at your site. You will be required to access the following website upon arrival to your site: www.bhsn.tsheets.com. Just like a typical time clock, you will clock in when you arrive to your site and clock out when you leave.
    • Some placements do not have access to a computer and these students will be expected to clock in, in room 313 prior to leaving the building. These students must leave a note specifying the clock out time on the tsheets web site and we will clock out for you each day.
    • Any student that has a placement at an MCCSC school will also be required to sign-in as a visitor in the schools main office.
    • Attendance will be taken 30 minutes after the start of your internship time (8:30, 12:00, 1:30) If a student is not clocked in they will be marked absent. If you have an unexcused absence, your site supervisor will need to complete an “attendance verification” form that you will turn in to room 312.

    Arriving/Departing

    • Since you will not be signing out prior to leaving North, you will be expected to be out of the building by 1:05, just as you would be expected to be in your 4th hour class.  Students found in the building after 1:05 will be marked tardy and the accumulation of 3 tardies will result in a detention. Excessive tardiness in leaving the building could also result in your removal from the program.
    • Depending on how far your internship site is from school, you need to be there in the time it takes to immediately get to your car and drive to your site.  If you intern ten minutes away from school, you need to be there at 1:15-1:20 pm (unless it is a seminar day)
    • You are expected to remain at your site until 2:30. If for any reason you need to leave prior to 2:30, you will need to leave a note on the tsheets web site explaining your early departure. Leaving early will result in a loss of accumulated attendance hours.
    • Students are not allowed back into the building or on school grounds before 2:30.  Failure to follow these expectations could result in disciplinary action.

    General information

    • You are required to get to your internship site with your own transportation. Only those students that go to the same site may share transportation. You are not allowed to drop students at other sites prior to going to your own site.  Do not depend on any other student for transportation because if they are absent from school, you are still required to attend your site. Parents must give permission for a student to travel with or transport another student.
    • You need to act and dress appropriately at your place of internship. It is your responsibility to inquire about and follow any dress codes established for the organizations you serve, especially those assigned to schools. 
    • If something confidential happens at your site you are expected to keep that information confidential. Do not tell your friends. 
    • If something happens to you at your site, it is critical you inform your program director immediately. The safety and well being of our students is essential and it is up to you to inform us of any problems or concerns. 
    • Criminal acts or alcohol and drug use will immediately be grounds from removal from the internship program.  These are a danger to the workplace.
    • If a site is not satisfied with your performance and they request that you be removed from your placement, you could also be removed from the program and placed for the duration of the semester in In-School Suspension if the request is directly related to your performance, behavior, attitude, and actions at your site.
    • First semester students will create a portfolio and second semester all juniors/seniors are required to participate in North’s Senior Project Presentation night.  Juniors will also be responsible for creating a display while also acting as room hosts on that evening.
    • All in-class meetings are mandatory and students must attend on their assigned day. If a student misses their assigned day they must make arrangements to attend on another day.

    Grading

      • Grading will be based on onsite evaluations, attendance, and in-class work.  You will be expected to meet all deadlines for submitting required class work, site evaluations, and attendance sheets. All paperwork must be turned in to room 312. Students are responsible for meeting all deadlines for assignments. Work will not be accepted or graded after the deadline. Reminders will be sent about deadlines via e-mail. Onsite evaluations and attendance—50% In-class and Moodle assignments, all projects, and participation—50%

    Projects

    Students will complete a portfolio and a Senior Project throughout both the 1st and 2nd semester. Both assignments are considered major components of the service-learning program. Specific details of the project will be introduced at the beginning of the school year.

    Senior Project Overview

    Portfolio Overview (Revisions will be made for 2010-2011)